Less Okay than He'll Admit
by FrednGeorgeFanGirl
Summary: Post ear-incident. Fred is not taking the loss of George's ear very well. Then again, neither is George, who falls ill from the dark magic that took his ear. Missing moments from Deathly Hallows.
1. A Holey Situation

A/N: Just an idea I couldn't get out of my head because I wanted to see a darker side of the whole ear incident. I love George for laughing off losing an ear, he was so brave, but I just don't buy that he wasn't secretly sad or hurt. I also wanted to see more of how Fred felt. Probably just a one-shot, but we'll see if it ends up the way it was in my head.

O0o0

George winced as he rolled over in bed and laid on the side of his head that had just lost an ear. Gasping, he quickly returned to lying on his back.

"So it hurts, does it?" his twin asked from where he was lying on his side on the bed across from George's, watching his brother.

"A bit," replied George.

"A bit? Come off it, George. Your ear was bloody cursed off your head! You've got to be in pain."

"I'd just rather no one make a big deal out of it, okay?" George replied bitterly.

Fred said nothing, but just continued watching his twin.

George groaned as he got up, giving up on sleep. He went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. He brought a hand up to where his ear was supposed to be and gingerly lifted the bandage his mother had wrapped around his head earlier. He only had to look at the bloody dark hole in his head for a few seconds before he started feeling dizzy. He dropped down on his knees, and gripped the toilet with his hands. He retched and his stomach convulsed as the firewhiskey had drunk earlier burnt his throat before ending up in the toilet.

"Bloody hell, George! Are you puking?" Fred shouted loudly as he made an appearance in the doorway.

George shooed him away with his hand and rinsed his mouth out. No sooner had he gotten back into bed, Molly had flung the door open and came in, eyes still blotchy and red from crying. She sat on the edge of George's bed and stroked his hair.

"Tomorrow I'm going to clean up the wound. I'm going to give you a sleeping potion, alright? You need some rest without being in pain."

George hated people fussing over him, especially his Mum. George was always the mellow, happy go lucky one. He couldn't help but think that Fred would have reacted differently if it were his ear. Fred would've added dramatics along with the ear related humor. He would have loudly reenacted the scene of the curse. George, however, didn't want any attention from it. He might make a few jokes but the truth was, he really didn't want to think about how he would never have his ear back. George refused to deal with it.

George obliged and drank the potion his mother handed him. He wanted to sleep and hopefully forget that he just lost a body part. He immediately began to feel drowsy and laid back and closed his eyes.

"I'm so proud of you, my brave, brave boy." Molly whispered softly. "You're going to be alright. You don't need to be brave all the time, you can tell Mummy if it hurts."

Molly kissed her son's forehead and tucked him in when she saw that he had fallen asleep. She turned to exit the room when she saw Fred and realized he had been in the room the whole time. Fred was sitting cross-legged on his bed, not taking his eyes off his twin brother. People who didn't know Fred well would never know it, but Molly knew the look on Fred's face. He was about to cry.

" Are you alright, dear?" Molly asked carefully.

Fred didn't say anything as his mother went over to wrap her arms around him. She held him silently for a minute before he spoke.

"He just, won't bloody admit something's wrong. Or that he's in pain, or that things are not going to be the same with us anymore."

Molly frowned. "I know, dear. I know. Things are the same, though. He's going to be perfectly fine."

"How is missing an ear perfectly fine?" Fred demanded, a tear now rolling down his cheek. "Now we have something different about us, I don't like it. It scares me. And Mum, what if it was something worse? What if I lost George and it was just me?"

"Don't say that Fred, please don't". Molly sniffed.

"But Mum, this is a war."

"I know, dear. I think about it every day. And if anything were to happen, I want you two to know how much I love you, okay? And I'm so proud of you boys, you proved me wrong with your business and now you're both doing so well. I need you two to keep on going and be our funny twin boys."

Fred sniffed and rested his head on his mother's shoulder.

Molly was taken aback by how Fred was acting. He usually did not like to share his emotions like this. She didn't think she had seen him cry since he was still in the single digits.

"Would you like a sleeping potion too, love?" Molly asked, rubbing Fred's back.

He shook his head. "I want to be there if George wakes up in pain."

Molly nodded and smiled. "He's so lucky to have a brother like you. Goodnight Freddie, get some sleep." Molly kissed his cheek and closed the door behind her.

When Molly left, Fred got up and walked over to George's bed and laid down beside him, resting his forehead against his twin's shoulder.

0o0

Meanwhile, Arthur was laying in bed awake waiting for Molly. He figured she was checking up on George and was waiting for her report.

"How's George?" he asked as Molly came in and started getting ready for bed.

"Not as well as he's pretending to be, but he'll be alright. I gave him a sleeping potion and I plan on trying to clean up the wound in the morning."

"Ah, I see, so he's not all jokes about it?"

Molly sighed and got into bed next to Arthur.

"He's in more physical pain than he'll admit; otherwise I think he's come to terms with it. I had to comfort Fred, on the other hand."

"Really, now?" asked Arthur surprised. "I didn't see that one coming. He was so worried about George before we got back but after seeing that George was alright, I thought he was just laughing it off as well."

"Well, Arthur, you and I both know joking is their way of dealing with everything. They're so funny, but I think we forget they have other feelings sometimes."

"I agree, I know I'm guilty of that myself. So why was Fred so upset by it?"

"I think he's more upset than George that they have a physical difference now."

"Ah, no more switching places to try and confuse people..."

Molly nodded. "Oh, Arthur, I thought for sure I was going to lose one of my babies tonight."

"Well we all came through, Molly. We're going to continue to pull through, alright? Let's get some sleep, love. They'll need us in the morning."

0o0

"Fred..." George groaned. He had woken up in the middle of the night feeling like someone had stuck a knife in his head and was relieved to see his twin sleeping next to him.

Fred woke abruptly. "George! What is it? Are you hurting?"

George winced and nodded.

"Well, dear brother, I took the liberty of getting us something in the event that this would happen while you were puking earlier", said Fred.

Fred hopped over George and produced a half full bottle of Ogden's old firewhiskey from underneath his own bed.

"Something a little stronger than the sleeping potion?" he suggested.

George grinned despite himself. Fred always knew how to make him smile.

"Merlin knows I could use some, "George said. "Give it here"

George opened the bottle and took a swig, ignoring the burning sensation in his throat and stomach before handing it to Fred.

Fred, always the party animal, took an also large swig. He motioned for Fred to come sit next to him by the open window.

They drank in silence for a few minutes, handing the bottle over to each other.

"You know, I would have been pretty pissed if I'd lost you, "Fred said, breaking the silence.

George nodded, understanding. "Sorry about my terrible mood earlier, mate."

"It's alright. You've got to know though, that was bloody scary as hell."

"How do you think I feel?" George asked half laughing.

Fred didn't laugh. "Really, George. What would I even do if I lost you?"

"I don't really want to think about that happening to either of us, Fred. Just promise me that if I die in this war, you'll be alright, you know, eventually."

Fred shook his head. "I couldn't be."

George saw no point in arguing, and put the cap back on the bottle. "Well, fortunately, I'm still here. I'll try not to pull any more shenanigans like that."

They got back into their own beds. After a few minutes of silence Fred spoke up.

"You know, we could glue an extendable ear to your head."

George laughed. "We can try it in the morning. Night, bro. Love you."

"Love you too, George."


	2. A Diabolical Plan

I thought this story was going to be a one-shot, but since readers have seemed to take it well and a few even put it on their story-alerts, I thought how can I deny them something they want to see more of? I personally hate when I really want to read something but the author doesn't write any more. Being a disorganized, random, and generally crazy person, my writing style is to pull things out of my bum impromptu and I plan nothing so here's my best shot! Let me know what you think, please! I'm thinking it'll now be a sort of look at Fred and George through Deathly Hallows, at least the first half of it anyway. Also, I realize time went by between the ear incident and the wedding, but like in the movie, I'm going to make the wedding the next day.

0o0

The light of the morning sun was intensely bright as it shone through George's eyelids. A fresh stab of pain greeted him as he opened his eyes and became aware of the world around him. Fred, he noticed, had already gotten up and left the room. To add to the headache he was already feeling, his bedroom door slammed open with a loud bang as his second oldest brother came bounding into the room.

"Georgie! Heard you had a tight spot with a death eater!" Charlie shouted, making George's head pound as Charlie punched him playfully in the shoulder. "Let me get a look at this!"

George had to laugh. He hadn't seen his brother in a while and he was not about to sulk on what was supposed to be a happy day. He lifted up the bandage gingerly to show Charlie, who let out a low whistle.

"I'm not going to lie, little bro, that's pretty gross. Now get up and help us set up the tent, if you're, er, feeling alright that is", Charlie said. "I think Mum let you sleep later than everyone else, she's been going crazy!"

"Thanks for the warning", said George.

George got up slowly, the room spinning as he did so and finally coming into focus, and dressed quickly in his designated wedding attire. George descended the stairs quickly, brushing his teeth as he did so, and busied himself making a cup of tea in the kitchen and placed the toothbrush in the hole where his ear used to be for safekeeping. He turned around to the sight of his little sister and Harry snogging.

"Morning," George said slowly, with a slight smirk and a wink in Harry's direction.

After Ginny and Harry had left the room embarrassed, Molly came bustling in carrying a stack of napkins.

"Oh good, George, you're up!" she practically shouted. "Sit down, I have got to look at that ear."

"There is no ear, Mum," George replied. Molly frowned and she opened up _101 First Aid Tricks and Charms. _

"Yes, just what I thought," she muttered, "I'm going to have to re-grow the skin around the wound."

"You're going to do what now?" George asked, alarmed.

"Re-grow your skin. Just sit for a second."

Molly took out her wand and did something to the side of George's head to make it grow ice cold. George groaned in pain and glared at his mother, who wasn't looking at him. Instead she took a jar of nasty looking paste and started rubbing it on George's head. It was the weirdest feeling George had ever experienced on his head.

"There, that looks better." Molly said approvingly. "Now go see what needs to be done still outside. I've got too much to do before tonight". On a side note Molly added, "Unless you're not feeling well, love, I don't want you to strain yourself."

"I'm fine," George muttered, already hating the fussing that was being done about him. What were all his relatives and friends at the wedding going to say? He looked in the mirror on his way outside and noticed with relief that his bloody wound was now a clean gaping hole. His stomach lurched a little as it hit him all of the sudden that he was never going to get his ear back, but a second later he was too distracted to think about it.

"Hey, your Holeyness! It's about time you woke up," Fred shouted, looking funny all dressed up in a yellow vest that clashed with his hair. "Had a little bit too much drink did you?"

"Shut up," George replied laughing. "What are we doing?"

"Putting the tent up," Fred said quickly, "but I've got an idea I want to run by you."

George looked at his twin curiously, wondering what his idea could be when a man walked up to the tent area.

"Bloody hell," said George. "What's the minister of magic doing here?"

When the minister had gone inside to talk to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the twins took the opportunity to escape from the wedding preparation.

"What's your idea?" George inquired as they headed up to their room, where all their joke shop stuff was currently being stored. "If this is a joke to sell that involves severing a person's ear, I'm not sure there's a market for that."

"No, no. It's not for the shop" Fred said quickly. "More like for us. Charlie informed me that a few of Fleur's cousins are Veelas as well."

"Fleur's part Veela", George replied absentmindedly.

Fred rolled his eyes. "You seriously don't see the opportunity this poses for us? This is huge George! Here's my plan. I introduce myself to a pair of them, give them the old Weasley charm, and then you come in and they're all like, "Aw you guys are twins, you're so funny, blah blah. Then you show them you're ear, then suddenly we're all brave and sensitive for risking our lives for the greater good, and we've got them!"

"Is this seriously all you can think about on the day of your brother's wedding?" George asked smirking. He had to admit, it was sort of brilliant.

"Alright, well unless you want to spend the rest of your life having a relationship with your right hand.." Fred said.

"Right hand? If you recall, I'm the one that had a girlfriend for most of our Hogwarts years" George said, offended.

"No," said Fred, "You had Katie the whole time while I merely had more casual relationships with plenty of cute Hogwarts girls. There's a difference."

"Alright whatever you say. Angelina wouldn't have liked you admitting that." George laughed. " Anyway, I'll follow your lead. Scope out the good ones."

"Will do", Fred replied. "Will do."

The bedroom door banged open for the second time that morning.

"Weasley Twins!" shouted a tall black boy with dreadlocks.

"Lee Jordan!" George shouted.

"Oh, Lee" Fred said. "We're going to have to find three Veela tonight."

0o0

This went in an odd direction, I feel like I wrote a lot about Fred and George being typical guys always thinking about sex but oh well. The wedding and after the wedding when they escape from death eaters will be next! Please Review!


	3. Mayhem at the Wedding

Author's Note: I'm really sorry this chapter took so long to put up. Long story short, I accidentally deleted the word file I was writing it on and failed to get it back. So after being infuriated with computers, I started all over. So here it is, please review, my fellow harry potter fans but most importantly, enjoy!

And not that anyone cares but the names of Fleur's cousins are names of friends I made in France when I did an exchange trip!

0o0

A soft, delicate hand gently caressed the side of George's cheek, travelling from his jaw-bone up towards his temple, ever so slightly avoiding his missing ear.

"Ah, but George," Fleur's cousin Claire said with a throaty voice not unlike the bride's. "You are so brave to 'ave avoided ze dragon like that." George had made up a cock and bull tall tale about he and Fred escaping from a couple of dragons that they encountered while visiting Charlie in Romania.

He and Claire had escaped from the raucous of the wedding and found a secluded spot in the fields surrounding his childhood home.

"It was nothing" George said with a small smile as Claire leaned in to kiss him and he quickly responded to her touch.

In his peripheral vision, George could see Fred taking Fleur's other cousin, Camille by the hand and vanishing from sight. George focused back on Claire and enjoyed the feel of her soft lips against his. All of the sudden, a bright light was shining through the back of his closed eyelids. When we opened them, the large form of Kingsley's patronus was in the middle of the tent.

"THE MINISTER OF MAGIC IS DEAD," said a booming and sinister voice. "THEY ARE COMING".

Chaos.

Every person gathered underneath the tent was rushing around looking for loved ones and several loud cracks could be heard as people disapparated out of there.

George leapt up and pulled Claire up from the grass by the hand.

"It was nice meeting you" George shouted as he ran away in search of someone else.

There was only one person George needed to find. The rest of his family would be okay. George was confident in that. He and Fred were a team however, and he couldn't leave without his twin.

Someone grabbed his shoulder. George caught a quick glimpse of his father before he was lost in the crowd.

"George! Get Fred and go to your shop! We'll send word there! Do not leave and stick together!" Arthur shouted.

George's heart was pounding and he could hear it in his ears, ear rather, the one that was missing making a weird throbbing sensation. _Where is he, the great git? _George thought.

Finally, George spotted his twin brother running towards him. Even though it pained him to leave the rest of his family, he grabbed Fred's arm and turned on the spot without hesitation.

They landed with a loud thud on the cold, hard, floor of their flat above their joke shop in Diagon Alley. George immediately leapt to his feet despite having the wind knocked out of him and whipped out his wand.

"Protego totalum" whispered George, waving his wand around the flat.

"G-George" said a feeble voice from the floor.

George jumped when he looked at his twin who was still lying motionless on the floor. Fred's face was pale and he was breathing hard. Sticky, red blood was slowly dripping from his leg, drenching his trousers and forming a small pool on the floor.

"Fred! What happened? Are you okay?"

"I think I've been splinched, Georgie", replied Fred.

"Hold on, bro, I'll get something for that!"

George yanked open the door leading downstairs into their shop and took the stairs three at a time before running into a room in the back of the shop they kept for storage. He hurriedly rummaged through a few boxes before he shook his head and ran back into the main part of the shop and ripped open a package straight from a shelf. Panting, he ran up the stairs to his twin.

"Fred! Here, swallow this" George said, popping a blood blisterpod into his brother's mouth. Fred obliged and was still breathing in a shallow manner that frightened George as he ran his wand over Fred's leg, muttering an incantation.

"There, that's as much as I can do" George said. "Sorry about that, I was just focused on getting us out of there".

"It's alright bro, just be thankful it's still there" Fred said with an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. "Do you reckon everyone else is okay?"

"I hope so" George replied quietly. "They can take care of themselves."

"I want to go back and check!" Fred said, trying to stand and failing on his still weak leg.

"No, Fred. Dad told us to stay here. We're not going to do them any favors by going back there. They'll send word when they're safe."

"If they're safe, you mean" Fred said bitterly. He sighed and sat on the floor with his back leaning against their sofa. "I suppose you're going to say what I think you're going to say."

"What?"

"That we have to shut down the shop"

"Why would we do that?"

"I don't know, aren't you going to pull your responsible twin speech? Say that it's not safe to keep it open with all these death eaters running amok?"

"No. We keep it closed until Dad or someone sends word that they're all safe. Then we're open for business as usual. I'm a flobberworm if I let these death eaters all we've worked for."

Fred smiled for the first time since they had landed in their flat. "That's my brother. Always putting fun before practicality." Fred pulled his brother down to the floor where he was sitting and enveloped him in a hug. George was momentarily shocked at his brother's display of affection, but these weren't ordinary times. Their lives were all on the line now. George sighed and hugged him back.


	4. Accepting Reality

Fred and George had spent the evening sitting around their wireless radio listening for reports on death eater activity while they waited for someone from the Burrow to send word. They were both uncharacteristically anxious.

"Bathroom" George muttered, unable to stand siting around anymore.

George crossed the tiny kitchen into their bathroom and shut the door behind him. He turned his head to the side and look at his non-ear in the mirror. His stomach dropped yet again as he realized it was never growing back. Shaking the thought out of his head, he reached for the doorknob, never really having had to go to the bathroom. As he did so, a sharp pain shot through his head in the direction of his non-ear. He suddenly felt dizzy and he swayed slightly on the spot and leaned with his shoulder against the door to keep himself from falling.

"Hey, George! Get out here! There's a patronus!" Fred called from the living room.

George steadied himself and walked out into the living room, still a little dizzy but able to remain composed. There it was, the shining silver mass that was unmistakably their father's patronus. The weasel stood on its hind legs and Arthur's voice came out of it.

"We are being questioned. Every move is being tracked. Apparate back to the Burrow now."

Fred and George looked at each other, and seeing no reason why they should delay, disapparted.

The twins had barely entered the house when their heads were knocked together from their mother's tight embrace.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness you two are alright," Molly crooned, kissing each of her sons on the cheek.

Arthur gave them a grim smile and gestured them to follow into the living room. There, were two black-robed death eaters standing in the middle of the room. Bill, Fleur, Charlie, and Ginny were all sitting on the sofa looking anxious.

"Right," said one of the death eaters. "If you all will leave the room, we'll be questioning these two."

They all got up and filed into the kitchen, Charlie clapping Fred on the back and Ginny giving George a quick squeeze.

"So," said the other death eater. "Where did you two run off too before now?"

"None of your business," spat Fred.

"Alright," said the death eater. "Now tell me, where is Harry Potter?"

"We don't know more than you, do we?" said George cooly.

"And were you in contact with Albus Dumbledore?"

Fred snorted. "Yes, seeing as we were students at his school. Have we efficiently answered your question?"

"Oh no," said the death eater with a sly smile. "But you will, in time."

The Death Eaters motioned that they were done questioning the twins. One of them turned towards Arthur. "We will be watching your every move, Weasley". And with that, the death eaters vanished leaving a chilling silence in the air.

"Now, Fred, George," Molly said, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go back to your shop. I think you should stay here. All of you, for now."

"Mum, we can't leave our shop" Fred said. "We can look after ourselves."

"Yeah, we'll check back in regularly. Don't worry", said George.

"Boys," Arthur said. "Your mother is right. It's not safe for you to be there".

"Why does Bill and Charlie get to work then?" Fred shouted.

"Bill works at the bank with hundreds of other wizards and Goblins and Charlie works in Romania in a dragon reserve where the death eaters would not dare enter. It's well known that you two are the owners of that shop and you will be subject to attack at any given time. You must face this, boys. I'm sorry, but you will both stay here where you are safe."

Fred and George looked at each other but had nothing to say. They knew their father was right as much as they didn't want to believe it.

"Sorry, guys" Bill said sympathetically and everyone else nodded. Molly looked close to tears.

"What are we going to do here if we're being watched?" Georged asked glumly.

"We go about our normal lives until we can figure out a way of relocating safely." Arthur said.

"Right," Fred said. "Well come on, George. We better go pack up the shop".

"Wait," Molly started. "You two can't leave!"

"Mum we're going to pack up our stuff and come back here, don't worry".

"Let them go, Molly" Arthur said. "I guess I'll send a patronus to Ron now that we're all safe."

An hour later Fred and George were bringing their stuff back into their childhood bedroom of the Burrow. Their room was looking like the warehouse for joke products it had been just a year ago when they had first opened their shop.

"Fred," George said, "Can you help me? This box is h-"

George dropped the box, spilling its contents all over the floor and started swaying on the stop, his eyes glazed.

"George, what the hell!," Fred shouted as he caught his brother in his arms just before he fainted.

0o0

A/N: Sorry it's been so long since my last update! This is basically a filler chapter of things to come! Please review!


	5. A Hole in the Plan

A/N: Much love to everyone who reviewed! Please Continue! I'm so happy that you all are enjoying the story:)

0o0

Fred was poking George in the shoulder. George had fainted and had to be steered over to his bed, which he immediately collapsed onto. George's eyes flickered as he hovered somewhere in between consciousness and unconsciousness.

"Wake up, Georgie. Wake UPPP! God, George you prat.."

George groaned and his eyes snapped open after what seemed like hours.

"WHAT in Merlin's name was that about?" Fred asked, his eyes wide. "Are you okay?" he added a little more gently.

"Y-yeah," said George. "This almost happened to me earlier when I was in the bathroom at the flat. I just started feeling dizzy a-and passed out".

"What's wrong?" Fred asked quickly. "Are you sick? Does this have to do with your ear?"

"Maybe," George replied, looking embarrassed.

"I think you should tell Mum."

George shook his head. He tried to sit up but immediately felt dizzy again and slumped back onto his pillows, which Fred fixed for him so he could sit up more.

"George, she knows how to deal with stuff like this. This is scaring me" Fred retorted, leaning against the window frame looking at his brother.

_Don't cry, don't fucking cry, _Fred thought as he blinked rapidly and bit his lip. This was too much for him. First George lost his ear, then the death eaters ruined Bill's wedding. They didn't know where Ron was and Percy hadn't shown up either for that matter. Now they were forced to leave their shop and something was wrong with George. He rarely got sick and was never the type to pass out. Something very unusual was going on.

George sighed and rolled over onto his side to look back at his brother. He felt guilty for doing this when there was so much else to be worried about. He did not want anyone to have to burden themselves with worrying about something as trivial as his ear.

"I don't want anyone to worry" George muttered, mostly to himself.

Fred sighed and quickly headed toward the door.

"Fred, DON'T," warned George. "I'm serious."

"I'm just going to get you some water, your holyness, relax."

A minute later Fred was supporting George as he drank a large glass of water. Fred had brought him a pumpkin pasty but George felt too weak to eat it and it sat untouched on his night table. There was a soft knock on the door. Fred jumped and George tried to sit up into a position that implied more that he hadn't just passed out.

"Time for dinner, dears" Molly called through the door, her voice heavy with stress.

"Uh, just a second, Mum," Fred called back. "Are you coming?" he hissed at George.

"I'll try" George said fighting to sit up.

When he failed, Fred pushed him back down onto the bed.

"I'll make up an excuse for you" Fred said bracingly. He put a hand on George's shoulder and left the room.

Fred took a seat at the kitchen table in between Ginny and Charlie and kept uncharacteristically quiet, filling his plate and surreptitiously pocketing a few things to bring to George.

"Where's your brother?" Arthur asked from the head of the table.

"Didn't feel well," Fred replied quickly.

"What do you mean didn't feel well?" Molly demanded, looking up from the stew she was ladling into bowls so quickly that she sent the stew flying and hitting Fleur.

Fred shrugged and kept his eyes on his plate while his parents eyed him suspiciously.

"Well, I'll go up there and check on him" Molly said.

"No, don't!" said Fred quickly. "I mean uh, I'll bring a plate up for him, he's sleeping."

"Molly, I'm sure he's fine," said Arthur soothingly. "You should sit down."

Dinner passed uneventfully. Everyone ate their food without much gusto and seemed more subdued than normal. The few empty chairs around the table seemed to draw everyones attention although nobody mentioned it. Fred excused himself as quickly as possible and went back upstairs to check on George.

At first glance, George was sleeping soundly where Fred had left him. However, as soon as Fred neared the bed he let out a whimper of pain and fear when he saw his twin. George was laying on his stomach with his head turned to the side and one of his arms hanging off the side of the bed. HIs skin was ghostly pale and his eyes were rolled back, small slits of white visible. George's breathing was slow and shallow.

"MUUUMM!" Fred shouted.

0o0

Molly burst through the door of the twins' bedroom and ran over to her son. Arthur followed quickly behind and put a hand on his son's forehead while Molly buried her head in his shoulder. The rest of the Weasleys and Fleur were standing anxiously in the doorway.

"Oh, Sweetie," Molly crooned, stroking George's cheek. "Wake up, Georgie. Arthur go fetch my potions. The rest of you lot, why don't you go downstairs? This doesn't need an audience."

They all backed away from the doorway but Fred stayed put.

"Fred, dear, why don't you go down too?" Molly asked.

"No, Mum".

Arthur reappeared with Molly's stock of potions. Molly unstoppered a pepper-up potion and Fred supported George's neck while Molly slowly poured some in George's mouth while Arthur laid a comforting hand on a shoulder of each of his sons. The potion dribbled down George's chin and he seemed to be choking on it.

"Mum, do something! He's choking!" Fred shouted.

"He's alright, love" Molly said soothingly.

George indeed seemed to be gaining some color in his face and the whites of his eyes that were visible before were now back to normal and his eyes were closed as if he was sleeping normally.

"Molly," Arthur said, "What's wrong with him? He was fine an hour ago".

"The ear" Molly sniffed. "I-It was cursed off. We don't know much about the curse. S-some of the curse is probably still in him" she said now close to sobbing.

"How do we get rid of it?" asked Fred frantically.

"I don't know" Molly said, pressing a kiss to George's temple. "We wait and see how he reacts to pepper-up potions. We may have to owl St. Mungo's".

"Molly," said Arthur, "We don't exactly have access to St. Mungo's like we would normally. The death eaters will know, and we will get questioned."

"I don't care Arthur," Molly said hysterically. "If my baby needs a healer then he will get one. Arthur, we need to know about that curse".

They all knew Arthur was right but no one dared contradict Molly. A small red-headed figure appeared in the door in the form of Ginny. She timidly peered into the room.

"It's okay, Gin." Fred said. "You can come in."

"I heard you say something about the curse" Ginny said darkly. "Harry told me something last year."

"What do you mean Harry told you something?" asked Arthur.

"Last year," Ginny repeated. "Harry said that he accidentally did that spell on Draco Malfoy, the one that Snape had invented. I think it was the same one that Snape did that hit George. Harry said Snape used certain incantations to heal Malfoy."

"Do you know what they are, Ginny?" Arthur asked.

"No, I'm sorry." Ginny said quietly.

"No matter", Molly said, unconvincingly. "We'll find a remedy."

They all hoped she was right.


	6. The Woes of Fred Weasley

A/N: You know you have problems with procrastination when it takes you an hour just to start writing Harry Potter fanfiction, which I love. On that note…

0o0

Fred was crying.

WIth very few exceptions, he hadn't really cried in years. The only people that knew he had cried those few times were George and his mother. He certainly hadn't cried like this. He was sitting on the floor of his and George's childhood bedroom with his head against George's bedpost watching his twin brother, who hadn't woken up the entire day. It was now midnight.

Fred's wracking sobs were painful and he had run to the bathroom several times to dry heave. Fred wasn't alone. Molly and Arthur had been checking on George regularly and trying different methods to wake him up. The whole household was very quiet. It had been decided that if George didn't wake up by morning they were going to bring him to St. Mungo's which would endanger the entire family. There had been an incident where Ginny, not wanting to leave George without knowing the outcome of his predicament, had to be dragged from the house in order to make the Hogwarts Express.

Each time someone had come into the bedroom that day, Fred would immediately straighten up and wipe his eyes. By the end of the day Fred stopped trying to fool everyone. He hadn't left George's side practically all day, except for the few hours that Molly made Fred go downstairs for fear that he would go crazy sitting in the bedroom all day with nothing to do but stare at his unconscious twin. As soon as he could however, he was back at George's side.

Arthur appeared in the doorway. He stood for a moment, looking at the scene before him. One of his sons was unconscious and pale, the other looking almost as bad. This sight of his happy go lucky, funny twins broke his heart.

"We're all going to bed," Arthur said to Fred. "You should get some sleep too. We'll figure out what to do in the morning. If it helps, you can sleep in Percy's room, or Ginny's.

Fred just hiccuped and shook his head. Seeing that reasoning with Fred wasn't going to work, Arthur quietly sat on the edge of George's bed and bent over to kiss the top of his head. He then put a hand on Fred's shoulder, gently massaging it.

"I hate to see you like this, Fred. Why don't you take a sleeping potion? Your mother has a stock of them around here somewhere."

"I have to stay up in case George wakes up" Fred said simply.

"You need to sleep. Accio sleeping potion."

"No, Dad. I don't need - I " Fred started saying before a fresh batch of tears prevented him from finishing his sentence.

Arthur put his arms around his son, tucking his head into the crook of his neck and holding him tightly until his sobs quieted. Finally, Arthur was able to convince Fred to take a sleeping potion and get into bed.

Fred was able to sleep that night without any dreams, and without horrible nightmares about losing his brother, twin, and best friend that pained him so much that he was unable to do anything else but sit and endure it. Losing his twin would be like losing half of himself, half of his soul even. The thought of it scared him to the point of being sick.

0o0o0

At around four in the morning, Fred was being shaken awake by someone. Still groggy from the sleeping potion, Fred opened his eyes with difficulty to see the blurred outline of his older brother, Bill. His eyes were red and puffy from crying and crusted with sleep, but there was no mistaking the fanged earring and long, Weasley red hair.

Seeing Fred's eyes, Bill immediately stopped roughly shaking his brother and instead laid a gentler hand on his shoulder.

"Bill, what…?" Fred said loudly, sitting up slightly.

"Shh" Bill whispered, holding a finger to his lips. "Follow me"

"What? Why do…?"

"Shh, don't ask questions. Just follow me."

Fred didn't want to leave George, but he always looked up to Bill, although he'd never admit it, so Fred obeyed. Careful not to make any noise, the brothers crept down the stairs and into the kitchen and out the back door into the garden. Once outside, Bill spoke a little louder.

"I know you want George cured. We all do, actually, but Mum and Dad won't admit what needs to be done. Atleast, they don't want to believe it" Bill said.

"What are you talking about?" Fred inquired.

"Fred, are you forgetting that before I came back to work in a boring office to be closer to you hooligans, that I was a curse breaker?"

Fred's eyes grew as large as galleons.

"You saying you know how to get rid of the curse? Wait a second….why in the name of merlin's saggy balls wouldn't you tell us before now?"

"Woah, hold on. Do you really think I'm that thick? Obviously if I knew how to cure George, I would have done it. What I'm saying is that I know how we can find someone who DOES know how to cure him."

"Enlighten me," Fred replied.

"You sure you want to go through with it?" Bill asked. "It's not going to be pretty."

"Bill..I cannot lose him. I'll do anything," Fred said almost pleading.

"I know Freddie, I know," Bill said rubbing his brother's shoulder. A lot of people had been doing that to him lately. "Okay, here it goes. We've got to face a death eater.."

"Come again?" Fred said.

"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy…"

"Crazy? You've got me already. When are we going?"

"Well why do you think I've woken you up in the middle of the night? We've got to go before Mum or Dad or anyone realizes you've gone".

"And where is that exactly?"

"Hogwarts," Bill said simply.

"Hogwarts?" Fred said slowly, catching on.

"That's right, little bro". "Let's go and see what can be done about old Snape. He doesn't curse our brother and get away with it."

0o0

A/N: So originally I was going to include Fred and Bill going to Hogwarts in this chapter, but it took me a while to figure out where this was going and I leave for vacation this week so I wouldn't have had time to put the chapter up. This way you get a chapter and I'll start thinking about what comes next so I can write it and update quickly once I come back:)


	7. Back to Hogwarts

Hello my lovely readers! I am aware that it has been over six months since I last updated. I have no excuse. Let's just say I have random phases in which I completely forget about fan-fiction for months at a time but I am trying to waste less time and spend more time writing. If you are still reading this, I love you! Please review even though I don't deserve it:)

0o0

"So how are we going to get to Hogwarts?" Fred asked as they made their way across fields surrounding the Burrow.

"I took the liberty of arranging a portkey for us, little bro" Bill replied. "It's waiting for us at my office. Thing is, we can't just apparate into diagon alley. We need to apparate directly into my office. That involved some curse breaking on my part".

"What, you mean you already have been planning this? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Everything had to be done at the proper moment, Freddy. Now let's go. On the count of three, one…two.."

The two brothers turned on the spot with a sharp crack in the air and a moment later landed in the middle of Bill's office at Gringotts. Bill hurried over to the door and locked it and shut the shades on all of the windows.

"We've got a few minutes to wait until the portkey leaves" Bill said, gesturing towards an old glass bottle on his desk. "Fred?"

Fred didn't seem to be listening. He was standing staring at a picture on Bill's desk with his eyes glazed over. The picture was of all seven of the Weasley children about ten years earlier.

"What if he doesn't get through this, Bill?" Fred asked softly.

Bill walked swiftly over to his younger brother and put a hand on his shoulder.

"He WILL, Freddy."

"Look, I don't mean to be a rain on this little parade but I was never exactly a star pupil in Snape's eye. I know you were head boy and all, but how is Snape going to have any interest in helping us?"

Bill sighed and put his face into his hand, rubbing his temples. "I don't know. All I know is that we have to try. I don't see any other way out of this."

Fred nodded silently. "I just…usually this kind of thing would thrill me, I'd be more than happy to go waltzing up to old Snape and try to weasel this out of him. But usually I'd have George with me. I don't know how to do this on my own, really. But I can't let him down, Bill. I can't. I won't".

Bill stared at his little brother for a moment with inquisitive eyes and said, "Fred…do you remember when you and George were eleven just starting Hogwarts and I was a seventh year and head boy and all that?"

"Yeah," Fred said, rolling his eyes. "You didn't want anything to do with us."

"But did you ever notice how I never turned you in for anything I caught you two doing? I never took house points away and pretended I didn't see when you'd chuck a dungbomb or two down the corridor?"

"Hmm," Fred said, " Yeah, I guess you never did. I hadn't ever really thought about it?"

"Well I decided not to say anything because I didn't want you two to think I wasn't the cool older brother like Charlie who was captain of the Quidditch team and all that. I didn't want you to look at me as a worse version of Percy. I promised Mum I'd look after you two, so I kept an eye out for if you were to ever get in real trouble, but I always let you have your fun. I guess what I'm saying is, I have never wanted to let George down either. This isn't an exception. I feel a sort of older brother responsibility to get this straightened out."

"Wow, Bill. I never knew you felt that way. We never really understood being Head Boy to be honest, but I can honestly say we never compared you to Percy. You were much cooler."

Bill laughed. "Well thanks, kid. What do you say we just concentrate on what we have to do here?"

Fred nodded. "Portkey's glowing," he said looking at the old bottle.

"Well, all together now!" Bill said in a mock impression of his father that cracked a smirk on Fred's face, finally showing a glimpse of the mischievous personality that Fred had been lacking for the past few weeks.

Bill and Fred each put a hand on the bottle and within a few seconds felt a jerk behind the navel and they were off their feet.

They landed just outside of Hogsmeade Station looking up at Hogwarts Castle in the distance, not quite on castle grounds yet.

"So, do you reckon we just go up to the gate and demand to talk to Snape?" Fred inquired.

"I haven't exactly figured that part out yet," Bill replied. "Any ideas? You are infamous for this sort of thing."

"If only we had Harry's invisibility cloak," Fred replied. "Not that that would keep us from being detected as soon as we enter castle grounds."

"Let's just walk up to the gate and see what happens."

Fred and Bill made their way up the hill where the carriages usually took students up to the castle. As soon as they got to the winged boars, they were repelled backward as if pushed away by an invisible security guard. 

Rubbing his ribs, Bill sighed and said, "Maybe we were fools to think we could really just walk right into Hogwarts."

"Quick" Fred muttered. "Let's just get into Hogsmeade before Snape sends trolls on us or something."

"Do you really think we could just walk into Hogsmeade any more than we could Diagon Alley? Don't be think, Fred."

"Look, I don't usually say things like this, big brother, but I'm just trying to stop us getting in major trouble here."

"OY!" called a rough voice from a distance away.

The two Weasleys jumped at the sound and turned around, dreading who the voice would belong to.

"I get all mixed up with all you Weasley's comin' through this school, but I coulda' sworn you two already left. Are you up to summat I shouldn't know about?"

"Hagrid!" Bill cried. "Listen, we are in desperate need of help. I'm so glad to see you".

"Hagrid," Fred said. "What are you up to in Hogsmeade at this time of night anyway?"

"Oh you know," Hagrid said, his chinks turning rosy. "With Snape being new Headmaster everythin', I've been fancying myself a firewhiskey round this time of night over at Rosmerta's. You two care to join me? Somethin' tells me you shouldn't be here where all o' Hogwarts can see ya".

"Thanks, Hagrid," Bill said. "But our family is kind of being watched right now. We're not really supposed to be seen".

"Oh, don't worry 'bout that" Hagrid chuckled, "This pub's empty this time o' night."

Fred looked at Bill and shrugged and upon deciding that they had no better options at the moment, Bill nodded and the two brothers followed Hagrid down the path into Hogsmeade and into The Three Broomsticks.

With all three men with the drink in front of them, Hagrid looked at the two brothers with curiosity.

"Now how's your family doin'?" Hagrid asked, nodding toward Fred. "It's your brother wasn't it, who lost the ear? Or was that you?"

Fred nodded. "Yeah, it was George. That's kind of why we're here Hagrid. I don't know how much you can help us, but atleast you're on our side. It was Snape who cursed George. He's been pretty ill the last few weeks. None of us can figure out a countercourse or remedy or anything. We need to speak to Snape. We need to make him tell us how to fix George."

Hagrid shook his head while Bill remind silent, looking at Hagrid hopefully.

"I always knew there was somethin' dodgy about that Snape." Hagrid said. "Don't tell anyone I said that. Thing is, Hogwarts has been very different these days. With the Carrows and everything around, and now that everyone knows he's a bloody death eater, Snape isn't going to be very keen on helpin ya".

"Then we're just going to have to force him" Fred said darkly.

Suddenly, the three men jumped as they heard someone duck inside the door of the otherwise empty pub.

"So it is true", that someone said. "You are here! You've got to go back before you get caught! Wait, first tell me what you're up to!"

"Ginny!" Bill and Fred exclaimed in unison.

0o0

I apologize for my probably terrible grammar and prose. I am rusty on the writing thing and hope to get better again! Please review! Love to everyone!


	8. The Prince Returns

"Ginny, this can't be safe. You've got to get back up to the school," Bill said, eying his sister warily.

"Not until I know what you two are up to," Ginny half-shouted indignantly. "You all just leave me to go off to school, which is not like it used to be, mind you, and don't even write to tell me how George is or what's been going on at all! I demand answers!"

Hagrid pushed his chair back loudly and headed for the door "Well better call it a night," he said roughly. "Lemme know if Snape gives you too much trouble. Nice seein ya both."

The two brothers looked at their sister guiltily. Fred sighed and gestured for her to sit down. "Alright, Gin. Seeing as we have no way of getting into Hogwarts, maybe you're our only hope. We're trying to talk to Snape."

"WHAT?" Ginny cried. "Are you mad?"

"No, Ginny" Bill said, "we're not mad. George has been very sick and the person who did it to him is Snape. We've tried everything- antidotes, potions, counter-curses, and nothing has worked. It's obviously a curse that Snape invented, meaning he's the only one who will know how to fix it. Mum and Dad know this, deep down, but they've been worrying themselves sick about the family being watched so we've come to do the job for them."

Ginny stared at her brothers for a moment, her glistening eyes shining in the darkened pub. "But Snape's not on our side. He's not going to want to tell us how to make George better no matter what we do. And that's if he'll even give us the time of day!"

"He doesn't have to want to do it, Gin. We're going to force him if it's the last thing we do," Fred replied darkly.

"If only Snape had it written down somewhere" Bill said to no one in particular.

Ginny jumped, her arm striking Fred's drink and knocking it to the floor with a loud clink.

"What the?," Fred started. "What is it, Gin?"

"That's it! Snape _has _written it down!" Ginny cried.

"Seriously?" Bill asked. "Well do you have any idea where he would keep it? And how do you know that?"

"Yeah," Fred said. "How do you know that? All our years of pranking and George and I never got close to finding anything like that from teachers. I guess you're our ticket. You've got to go back in Hogwarts and find it!"

"That's just it," Ginny said. "I don't know if I will be able to find it. Harry had this potions book last year, see. And it used to belong to Snape."

"How'd he end up with Snape's old book?" Bill asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Ginny replied. "I think it was an old copy that they kept in the potion's room for students to use when they didn't have a book. Anyway, Snape had written all sorts of invented spells in the margins. Harry didn't know it was Snape's until the end of the year. He told me one day, out by the lake…" Ginny trailed off at the end, her face becoming flushed.

"Well, where is it now?" Fred said.

"We hit it," Ginny said, her face becoming normal colored again. "It was causing a lot of trouble, so we hit it in the room of requirement. When you need to hide something, it becomes this huge room filled with all sorts of stuff that generations of students have hidden. It would be very hard to find it again. I think we hit it under some sort of tiara. It's a little fuzzy".

"Well I regret never finding that room" Fred said seriously. "That must have loads of cool stuff. But as we can't get in, do you think you could get into that room and find the book?"

"I suppose I have to try" Ginny said. "Maybe you two should wait somewhere where you won't be as easily spotted".

"She's right," Bill said. "There's a small cave a few minutes walk away. Do you think you could meet us there?"

Ginny nodded. "I'm already risking enough by being out this late. It's a miracle I even got out of the castle. I think the best thing to do would be to go back to bed and go to the Room of Requirement in the morning when I won't get caught for being in the corridors at night. I can skip breakfast and be back for my first lesson. Do you two think you can camp out there for a few hours? It's nearly dawn now."

Fred nodded. "That's fine. But please, Ginny. This is our only chance."

Ginny walked swiftly over to her brother and gave him a one armed hug. "I know, Fred. Believe me, I want to help George just as much as you. If there's one thing you two have taught me, is that anything's possible if you've got enough nerve".

"That's my girl" Bill said. "And please, be careful! I don't want to have to rescue you and George.

Ginny nodded, giving Bill a hug as well. "Well, I guess I'll be back soon then."

0o0

Bill and Fred walked silently to the cave where Sirius had once met Harry, Ron, and Hermione as a dog. It was still pitch black, but they were wary of every sound they made. One loud noise, and they might have been seen, or worse. When they arrived, they sat along the cave wall with nothing to do but wait. It was a comfortable silence that only existed between two people that knew each other very well and for a very long time.

After a while, Bill started speaking out loud, saying things like, "This is going to work" or "George will be fine". Fred was uncharacteristically quiet the whole time and Bill didn't press the conversation much further. Eventually, they both were dozing with their heads on their shoulders.

Around seven in the morning, Bill and Fred were woken up by a sound of rustling leaves. They woke suddenly, startled by the noise and were greeted, thankfully, by Ginny, who looked exhausted, but triumphant.

"I've got it!" she whispered excitedly. "And it wasn't easy! I almost gave up but then I was able to find where we had hidden it! I almost had a heart attack as well. I thought I was going to be seen, but anyway, here it is!"

Fred leapt forward and seized the book from his sister. "Bless you, Ginny" he said smacking a kiss on her forehead.

Bill ruffled her hair. "We couldn't have done it without you, Ginny. Now as much as I wish you could stay with us, you really should get back. We've got to apparate back home. I didn't make a portkey back,"

Ginny, who usually was very tough and rarely weepy, looked as though she might cry. "Fine, well, keep me posted on everything, will you? It's not easy having to be the only one here!"

"Of course we will, Ginny" Bill said softly. "Come on, Fred".

Bill and Fred quickly hugged Ginny goodbye and with Fred tightly holding the book against his chest, apparated and with two loud cracks, landed on the Burrow's doorstep.

0o0

Author's Note: A huge thank you to any one who is still reading despite my inactivity for such a long period of time. I'd love to hear from you!And if you are just reading now, please drop me a review! I would really appreciate any words at all on my story. Reviews encourage me to keep writing, so if you'd like an update, please tell me how I'm doing. Even if you just review to talk, I'd love it. I love talking to all my readers!

Love to everyone!

Xx Effie.


	9. Sectumsempra

Bill and Fred burst through the back door and into the Burrow's tiny, cramped kitchen. Their eyes were immediately drawn to their parents who were supporting George in between them.

Fred's jaw dropped when he saw his twin. George looked ghastly. He was pale and clammy looking and the bandage that was wrapped around his head did not do much to help his frightening look. His eyes were glazed over making him have the distinct look of someone who felt so sick he was unable to stand for a long period of time or concentrate his attention on anything other than how awful he felt.

"Where HAVE you two been?" Molly shrieked.

"Sorry, mum" Bill answered quickly, shutting the door quickly behind him. "We've been doing something important."

"How is he?" Fred asked, rushing over to his brother.

"Not well," Molly, who looked almost as bad as her George due to worry, answered.

"We're taking him to Saint Mungo's," Arthur said, answering Fred and Bill's unspoken questions.

"What! No, you can't!" Fred cried. "If we're seen, they'll take us in for questioning again, and he'll never get better!"

"It's a risk we have to take, love," Molly sniffed. "We've got no choice."

"Yes we do!" Fred shouted. "We've got the answer!"

"What are you talking about Fred?" Arthur asked.

"That's what we've been doing!" Bill answered for him. "We've gone to Hogwarts to get the answer from Snape."

"You, WHAT?" Molly screamed. "How could you be so foolish? WITH ALL OF US RISKING OUR NECKS TO PROTECT THIS FAMILY?"

"Relax, Mum. We weren't seen by anyone. Well, almost anyone. Point is, don't worry about what happened because we've got the answer" Fred said, holding up the old potions book for his parents to see. " Dear Merlin, I hope so at least."

At that moment, George lost whatever little energy to stay awake he had left and Fred and Bill gasped as George's eyes rolled back in his head and he became dead weight, as he could no longer hold himself up. Fred rushed to help his parents and grabbed George from the armpits.

"Alright, let's get him to the sofa" Molly said quickly.

Once George was laid down on the cushions, Fred urgently flipped through the book scanning the pages for the answer to George's strange illness. Soon, he realized he did not know what he was looking for.

"Give it to me, Fred" Bill said. "I'm a curse breaker, I think I can find it."

Bill flipped feverishly through the pages and searched for what they all hoped he would find. He whipped out his wind and muttered an incantation.

"What are you saying, Bill?" Fred asked, now kneeling by his twin brother on the floor while George laid on the sofa, now fully unconscious.

"Shh," Bill said quickly, "It's something I learned in Egypt, for when I need to find something quickly. Uhh, does the name Sectumsempra mean anything to you?"

Fred furrowed his brow. "No, is that what Snape hit George with?"

Bill nodded. "Sounds like it," he said.

"Let me see that," Molly said. "I think I should do the countercurse."

No one disagreed with Molly on that. She took her wand out, gently turned George's head to the side and muttered the incantations that she saw on the page. Slowly, George's color returned to his face and the gaping wound on the side of his head looked like it was slowly healing. George's eyes opened and he looked around confused.

"How do you feel, Georgie?" Fred asked.

"Better," George replied.

"That was a right good scare you gave us, mate" Bill chimed in.

"Oh my boy," Molly crooned, stroking George's hair. "Thank goodness we didn't have to take you to St. Mungo's".

"I'm glad you're feeling better, son" Arthur said.

"You guys were gonna take me to St. Mungo's?" George asked clearly not remembering a thing.

"Yeah, that's kind of why Mum and Dad were practically carrying you out the door, your holiness." Fred said lauging.

"Oh," George said nonchalantly. "Can we eat dinner?"

o0o0

Author's Note: I feel like this chapter kind of sucked, but I couldn't think of much else. Please review to encourage me to write more!

Effie xx


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